Emergency Survival Bottle

[Weetabix]

I amused myself this Christmas by making an emergency survival bottle for each of my kids. It's really more of a "throw it in your pack before making off for the woods" bottle than anything else. Everything packs into the Nalgene wide-mouth bottle. Here are the contents:

Nalgene widemouth bottle
Flashlight
Bic Lighter (from Wally World)
Candle
Space blanket
First aid kit
Whistle
Razor
Compass
Fire starter (triox)
Wire key ring for smallies
33' Orange Paracord
Duct Tape - 6-10', folded flat on itself, about 5" long
Bandanna

I got everything from the links above. Everything I could get in orange, I did. That way if you drop it, it's easier to find.

I thought about a disposable rain poncho, too, but I was running out of room.

Total cost was about $30 each. I haven't weighed one, but they don't weigh much.

If I get really inspired and off my lazy @$$, I'll post pictures.

My kids and I are considering a trip into the woods when it gets warmer with the bottles, and a few other things you should have in a day pack (spare clothes, spare food, rain gear) to see how well we could spend the night with them.

Each bottle also had printed index card with the text below. The text is 6 point and it all fits on one side of a 3x5 index card.
=====================================
Emergency Bottle Contents:
1 Nalgene widemouth bottle 8 Razor
2 Flashlight 9 Compass
3 Matches or lighter 10 Fire starter (triox)
4 Candle 11 Wire key ring
5 Space blanket 12 Paracord – 33’
6 First aid kit 13 Duct Tape - 6-10'
7 Whistle 14 Bandanna

How To Use Some Of This Stuff In An Emergency (other than the obvious uses):
Space Blanket – Wrap it around yourself to keep warm. Use it with the rope to make a rain shelter. Tie the rope around a small rock wrapped in one corner and tie to a tree.
Water – Put the bandanna over the top of the bottle and dunk it deep in moving water. Avoid stagnant water. Avoid the top of moving water.
Whistle three blasts for help rather than yelling – saves your throat and energy.
Rope can be taken apart if you need more or thinner line – there are 7 strands inside.
Wire Key Ring – String the small things on it & attach to your belt loop or hang the bottle on your belt loop
Bandanna – Filter water. Soak in water & wrap on head or neck to keep cool. Tie stuff up in it. Tie a bandage on a wound.
Lighter – Fuse the end of cut rope.
Candle – Can generate useful heat in a small area. Make sure not to catch your shelter on fire. Make sure of ventilation. Use it to get a fire going in difficult cases. Mind the wind.
Razor – Shave tinder off of a small, dry stick to help make your fire.

Fire – Prepare an area that won’t let the fire spread. Against an earth bank or rock is good – it will reflect heat at you. Have a ball cap’s worth of tinder (matchstick-sized wood) and kindling (pencil to marker-thick wood). Put the small stuff on the bottom and “teepee” the kindling over top. Make sure it can get air – don’t pack it tight and smother it. Make sure you have enough feeding wood for the night. Don’t hold the lit lighter on stuff to make it light – you’ll just use it up. The lighter should only be on as long as a match would burn & that should get your fire going. Otherwise, you’re building it wrong.

ETA: the list of items is tabbed in MS Word, so it doesn't bunch up like that on the card.

[Bullspit]

I did the same thing and added my own lable:

The Bottle of Doom Contents:

1 Bottle Good for water too. In a real emergency it might even hold alcohol.
1 Rain Poncho Collect water in it or wear it.
1 Light stick Never know when you might end up in a trance club and need to amuse someone.
1 Toothbrush Good dental hygiene is comforting in a crisis.
1 Tube Toothpaste Good for polishing metal as well as teeth.
1 Tweezer A splinter can be an emergency.
1 Nail Clipper Can be used to cut things too.
1 Whistle Louder than a scream, has a compass, and thermometer.
1 Space Blanket Also works to signal for help (spread it out so it shines).
2 Neosporin Not for internal use.
4 Alcohol Swabs Also not for internal use!
4 Band Aids Just in case the band you are listening too is in need of help.
1 Tube Super Glue Can be used to close wounds.
Jolly Ranchers Who doesn’t like Jolly Ranchers?
Mesh Bag Holds all this junk if you need the bottle for water.
$10.00 Quarters, just in case you really need something shiny to distract zombies.

[Weetabix]

Did you post that on Kim's site once? I think I remember seeing it before. I think it's what inspired me.

I was going more for the Boy Scout 10 Essentials route than the urban survival route, though.

ETA: I thought about the mesh bag, too, but I couldn't find one I wanted to pay for. I like bandannas for almost everything.

[Bullspit]

Yes I did post this on Kim's site once upon a time. I found the mesh bags cheap at Walmart. They were in the housewares section as I recall and listed as laundry bags.

This is a good present for people who aren't into preparedness as it is pretty non-threatening. I have one in my office desk but I added a knife and a couple of other items.

My "Bottle of Doom" is aimed more at urban situations as that is where the people I gave them to live and work. I like the way you modified yours for more of a woods situation. Be sure to tell us how they work out when you get to use them!

[Combat Controller]

I like the bottle idea, I ought to make some up for my sisters. I just make up small satchels and pass them out, but yours is neater, more compact.

[Weetabix]

I ought to add a bottle of water purification tablets, but I ran out of money before I ran out of tiny stuff to put in it. In an ideal one, it would have a pocket knife rather than the razor, too.

[Rumpshot]

I know Sportsman's Warehouse and maybe Cabela's sell these bottles in various configurations. Seemed pretty reasonable prices and there was room in the bottles for more stuff.

[JAG2955]

Don't forget to give them a few wraps of duct tape, too.

[Weetabix]

Don't forget to give them a few wraps of duct tape, too.

It's in there. I pulled it out and folded about 5" over on itself, then kept folding it on itself until I'd done 15 layers that would come off. I figure that's about 6' and change. It's just short enough that it fits under the shoulder of the bottle inside.

[308Mike]

I know Sportsman's Warehouse and maybe Cabela's sell these bottles in various configurations. Seemed pretty reasonable prices and there was room in the bottles for more stuff.

I picked one up the other day while it was on sale, the regular price being $14.95 at my local death merchant supplier. It's packed pretty full. I probably should have grabbed a few more. Contents listed in the photos.

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Survival_Canteen_Contents_IMG_4022.jpg